A Golden Chain

Also we are so to use the creatures and ordinances of God, as being always ready to give an account of our doings at the day of judgement: for we use that which is the Lords, not our own; we are but stewards over them, and we must come to a reckoning for the stewardship. Hast thou learning? then employ it to the glory of God, and the good of the Church: boast not of it as though it were thine own. Hast thou any other gift or blessing of God, be it wisdom, strength, riches, honour, favour, or whatsoever, then look thou use it so, as thou mayest be always ready to make a good account thereof unto Christ. Lastly, every one must in such manner lead his life in this world, that at the day of death he may with cheerfulness surrender and give up his soul into the hands of his Lord, and say with Steven,¹ Lord Jesus receive my soul. For consider this with thy self, that thy soul is none of thine own, but his who hath bought it with a price, and therefore thou must so order and keep it as that thou mayest in good manner restore it into the hands of god at ⟨p. 278⟩the end of thy life. If a man should borrow a thing of his neighbour, and afterward hurt it and make a spoil of it, he would be ashamed to bring it again to the owner in that manner, and if he do, the owner himself will not receive it. Ungodly men in this life do so stain their souls with sin, that they can never be able willingly to give them up into the hands of God at the day of death: and if they would, yet God accepts them not, but casts them quite away. We must therefore labour so to live in the world, that with a joyful heart at the day of death we may commend our souls into the hands of our Lord Christ Jesus, who gave them unto us. This is a hard thing to be done and he that will do it truly, must first be assured of the pardon of his own sins, which a man can never have without true & unfeigned faith and repentance: wherefore while we have time, let us purge and cleanse our souls and b•dies, that they may come home again to God in good plight.

Also we are so to vse the creatures and ordinances of God, as being alwaies readie to giue an account of our doings at the day of iudgement: for we vse that which is the Lords, not our owne; we are but stewards ouer them, and we must come to a reckoning for the stewardship. Hast thou learning? then imploy it to the glory of God, and the good of the Church: boast not of it as though it were thine owne. Hast thou any other gift or blessing of God, be it wisdome, strength, riches, honour, fauour, or whatsoeuer, then looke thou vse it so, as thou maist be alwaies readie to make a good account thereof vnto Christ. Lastly, euery one must in such manner lead his life in this world, that at the day of death hee may with cheerefulnes surrender and giue vp his soule into the handes of his Lord, and say with Steuen,